Songs As Poetry Project

Songs range in theme from love, to loss, to deeply personal emotions, and communicate those themes in complex and thoughtful ways. Any music can be simple or complex, shallow or deep, but these famous pop songs draw in elements of writing that make their lyrics positively poetic. 7 Top Poetic Pop Songs. Our Undergraduate Research Scholar Louisa Day joined the project team in Summer 2019. The UGRS Scholarship enabled Louisa to undertake research on the theme ‘Beyond Song’. We have collated more than 1700 song settings of Baudelaire’s poetry but what other types of musical adaptations can be found? In this first blog post, Louisa examines.

Writing poetry makes visible the invisible that dwells inside each of us. It taps into emotions, a deeper understanding, an inner strength. Poems can enhance our understanding of the stories of the Bible.

So, we are looking for poems from you–poems written in response to a story from All the Stories of the Bible by John Walsh.

NOTE: We are also interested in Story Songs and Story Dramas. The criteria here for Story Poems also apply for Songs and Dramas.

Criteria for poems

It must be your original poem.
It must honor the Scripture in accuracy and insight.
Please cite the story by Number from All the Stories of the Bible that inspired your poem.

Sources for All the Stories of the Bible:

- Download – Free (link)
- Purchase – $20 (link)
- Online (link)

This page includes a few sample poems As well as possible topics as thought-starters. Try your hand at some of these ideas and go from there. Do not let these few samples limit you.

TIP: Watch the Writing Biblical Poetry workshop with Phyllis Hostmeyer (recorded Thursday, October 1). Video preview here. Workshop slides, handouts, and video recording here.

Submit your poems to info@bibletelling.com and our panel will review them for posting. We want to share poems that inspire, clarify, and support. See the complete library of Bible Stories and Story Poems here.

Examples of Poems based on All the Stories of the Bible

Story # 7 – Call of Abraham

Summary of Genesis 12: 1-20 using a simple rhyme scheme for every other line.

God said, “Go.” So Abram, Sarai, and Lot left Haran.

They built altars along the way but faced a terrible drought.

In Egypt, Abram had the beautiful Sarai tell lies.

But when she moved to Pharaoh’s palace, sickness came about.

Pharaoh screamed, “Why have you lied and done this to me?

You should have told me that Saria was your wife.

Now, take her and your belongings and leave.”

So Abram and his family left Egypt in the midst of this strife.

Character Study

Suggested topics fora Character Study Poem

Ruth – Why did you stay with Naomi? (Book of Ruth)
Abraham – Why did you obey God when asked to sacrifice Isaac? (Genesis 22)
Eve – Why did you eat the forbidden fruit? (Genesis 3)
Deborah – Why did you agree to go to battle with Barak? (Judges 4-5)
Samson – Why did you destroy the Philistine temple? (Judges 16)
Daniel – Why did you refuse to obey the law of Darius? (Daniel 6)

Why Did You Do It?
Story # 52 Balaam’s Donkey – Numbers 22: 1-35

Donkey, why did you act so stubborn?

I ran into the field to protect my master.

The fresh air of morning cooled my coat.

Then a flash of fire from a raised sword pierced the quiet.

An angel stood I the path blocking my progress.

I ran and scooted and fell out of fear.

My master made empty promises to the Lord,

But I would try once more to keep him safe.

I’m a simple animal doing my job.

I know nothing other than to serve.

Focus Poem

Look closely at one part of a character’s body

Circular Poem

The poem completes a circle with the ending mirroring the opening. Also notice how the each line opens with the words that close the line before.

Songs As Poetry Projector

Is seeing my Lord and Savior sleeping.

What I hate about my Savior sleeping

Is that I feared He would not save me from death.

What I love about death

Is that it has no victory over me.

What I hate about me

Is that moment when I give in to doubt.

What I love about doubt

Is that it is the beginning of my wisdom.

What I hate about wisdom

Is that the path to it is filled with storms and turmoil.

What I love about turmoil

Is the strength and confidence I gain battling those storms.

What I hate about storms

Is the crashing power of the waves.

I AM Poem

Every line starts with an “I” statement

Suggestions – any character in Scripture would be a good source of an I am poem.

A Woman Healed
Story # 195 – Twelve Years – Luke 8: 42 – 48

I am a woman – frail and sick
I want healing, strength, peace.
I have tried every remedy and medicine the doctors prescribed, but I only grow weaker.
I see massive crowds pressing around this man they call Jesus.
I wonder if I can slip through the crowds unnoticed.

I am a woman determined to find healing.
I hope to touch the fringe of his robe without anyone noticing me.
I understand that if people see me, I could be stoned for coming near the men.
I dream of a being part of a community rather than being the one they shun.

I am a woman who believes.
I touch the fringe of his clothes.
I feel immediate change.
I hear the Master ask, “Who touched me?”
I fear that his followers will punish me when they learn that I touched his robe.

I am a woman: frightened but hopeful.
I cry as I kneel before the Master.
I hear the Master call me daughter as he says, “Your faith has healed you.”
I feel a total healing of my ravaged body.
I whisper, “Thank you, my Master.”

I am a woman – healed.

At least five songs must be included in your project. Each song’s title and artist should be listed with a link to its lyrics page. List and describe at least three poetic devices used in each song. Simply typing a specific line is usually sufficient, but if you’re describing a metaphor, you must specifically explain what two objects are compared and how (if this is not apparent in the song). Try not to use the same three devices in every song.

1. “Grenade” by Bruno Mars: lyrics

Poetic Devices: metaphor, alliteration, repetition
Metaphor: Catching a grenade is compared to experiencing pain, both physically and emotionally, in order to prove your love for someone.
Alliteration: “Black, black, black and blue. Beat me til I’m numb.”
Repetition: “Oh, take, take, take it all.”

Popular Songs That Are Poems

2. “Dog Days are Over” by Florence and the Machine: lyrics

Poetic Devices: simile, alliteration, metaphor
Simile: “Happiness hit her like a train on a track.”
Alliteration: “Leave all your love and your longing behind.”
Metaphor: The line “the horses are coming, so you better run” is a metaphor for the inevitable occuring and trying to prolong it as long as possible.

3. “Winter Winds” by Mumford and Sons: lyrics

Songs As Poetry Project Examples

Poetic Devices: alliteration, personification, rhyming couplet
Alliteration: “And if your strife strikes at your sleep / Remember spring swaps snow for leaves.”
Personification: “But my heart told my head / ‘This time no.'”
Rhyming Couplet: “You’ll be happy and wholesome again / When the city clears and the sun ascends.”

4. “The Trolley Song” sung by Judy Garland: lyrics

Poetic Devices: onamonapia, alliteration, rhyming couplet
Onamonapia: “Clang, clang, clang went the trolley / Ding, ding, ding went the bell.”
Alliteration: “With my high-starched collar and my high-topped shoes / and my hair piled high up on my head”
Rhyming Couplet: “The day was bright, the air was sweet / The smell of honeysuckle charmed you off your feet.”

5. “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen: lyrics

Poetic Devices: repetition, allusion, metaphor
Repetition: “Hallelujah” is repeated several times throughout the song.
Allusion: The song references biblical characters.
Metaphor: “Love is not a victory march / it’s a cold, and it’s a broken Hallelujah.”